Brothers and sisters:
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Now it is of course required of stewards
that they be found trustworthy.
It does not concern me in the least
that I be judged by you or any human tribunal;
I do not even pass judgment on myself;
I am not conscious of anything against me,
but I do not thereby stand acquitted;
the one who judges me is the Lord.
Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time,
until the Lord comes,
for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness
and will manifest the motives of our hearts,
and then everyone will receive praise from God.
— 1 Cor 4:1-5
The peace of the Lord be with you. Today Saint Paul reminds us that as servants of the Lord we are called to be care givers of the mysteries of God. That means we are charged with living out, teaching and protecting what God has has taught us. These mysteries of faith are not necessarily intuitive so at times they run counter to the ideas we arrive at on our own. As we have pondered in the past, this means that sometimes we will find ourselves seeing things differently than others.
Saint Paul warns us not to become judgmental. He teaches that judgement belongs to God alone and that it too is one of the mysteries of our faith. I recently learned from Dr. Scott Hahn that this judgement is not only about what we have done right and wrong — it will be more like standing in the pure light of God’s love and seeing how our human decisions have effected us and all other people throughout all created time. There will be no escape from both the pain and the joy of that moment. The mystery does not end there though because through Jesus we also know God is merciful.
Somehow through this mystery of faith there will also be redemption and reconciliation. Our healing can begin here if we will but allow the ways and graces of God to penetrate our hearts to set us free from our human struggles. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.